This invention generally relates to a pump for oscillating a fluid in vivo, for example, to facilitate the dissolution of solidified masses that have developed in the body.
Solidified masses such as biliary duct stones and gall stones may develop in hollow organs or ducts within humans and animals and cause numerous health problems, as is known to those skilled in the art. These deposits may be removed from the body in various ways, including surgery or in vivo dissolution of the concretion by solvents introduced into the area of the body where the solidified masses are located. The hazards and complications attributable to surgery are well known, and it is desirable to avoid surgery where suitable alternatives are available. Heretofore, however, in vivo dissolution of cholesterol calculi has been undertaken with only limited success for several reasons.
For example, the effectiveness of such an in vivo process depends, in part, on the thoroughness with which the solvent fluids diffuse throughout the area of the body being treated, and conventional methods and devices for introducing therapeutic fluids into localized body areas normally do not produce any more than a limited distribution of the fluid in that body area. Also, cholesterol calculi dissolve at a relatively slow rate when simply placed in contact with a solvent fluid. It is known that the dissolution of such solids in a solvent is normally accelerated by stirring or agitating the solvent; however, as is known by those in the art, many practical difficulties are encountered when trying to agitate a liquid in vivo.